Stacking machine



' Aug. 18, 1931. H E, HUDSON y v.1,819,841

S'IACKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 2, 192e 2 shams-shaml 1 A Irs) ,446,1 LTEl L P1 3 /4 /fH/Mr ZT Hansa/w BY; V

A TT ORNE Y5.

INVENTOR.

Aug- 18, 1931 A H. E. HUDSON I 1,819,841

sTAcKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 2L, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheer 2 [WENT-0R.

Hamer E Haase/V.

A TTORNE YS,

I .with whmh is an extension 13 the latter being other constitute. the discharge end of the .Patented Aug. 1s, 192.14

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY E. HUDSON, F` ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOB T0 W. A. QUEBBEHAN, 0ll

INDIANADOLIS, INDIANA STAGIING ap'pumon mea february a, ieee. serial No. 85,467.

This invention relates to a stacking machine for sheets and thel like. u

The chief .object` of the invention 1s to stack a plurality of sheets successively pre- 5 sented in spaced or over-lapping relation.

Another object of the invention is to stack into a plurality of piles without' interloclnng, a plurality of pieces formed from a single sheet, the single sheetsbeing presented 1n spaced relation.

One chief feature of the invention consists in the provision of means whereby the sheet, whether presented in spaced or over-lapping relation with regard to adjacent sheets, 1s

' -15 tucked beneath the stack and between the lowermos't sheet of the stack and the stack support2 this being accomplished by the relative spacing between the stac support and a ortion of the bottomf the stack and a fee mechanism. I

Another chief feature of the invention consist's in the adjustability of the machine Vto accommodate sheets of various thicknesses, variouslengths and various breadths. Ajfurther feature of the invention consists in the positioning in predetermined relation',

"of the successively received sheets.

` The full nature'of the invention be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following descriptionand claims:

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a machine for forming a sheet in plurality of smaller sheets and stackin said sheets in a plurality of piles. Fig. 21s an end elevation of the same. Fi 3 is an enlarged sectional'view showing t e method of inserting the sheet between the bottom of the stack and the stack support. Fig. 4 is anenlarged elevational -view ofa slightly modified form of conveyor.

In the drawings 10 indicates aframework of the machine, 11 a tableextending the j from supported by a standard 12, associa d maintainedin horizontal position when the size` of the sheets require and being maintained in the vertical position when not reuired. The platform or stack su port 11,

Y t e terms being used interchangeab y herein- 59 after and 'in the claims, adjustably supports a back stop 14, the positionthereof justed upon the table by means of the pinions 1,5 meshing with racks 16. The stack 9 as shown clearly in Fig. 3, .projects beyond the level end of the platform and over-lies the being adsame. Y However, the platform 11 is provided vwith a beveled projecting edge 17 which extends beyond the stack thereby forming between the projected plane including the bottom of the stack and the supporting surface of the platform, a space into which. thel sheets are fed successively. The sheets are indicate in the several figures by the numeral18.l

The means for feedin the sheets to the stack formation is herein illustrated as a pair of endless belts, the upper belt being indicated by the numeral 19 and the lower belt by the numeral 20. The framework 10 in# cludes a pair of racks 21 and 22 at each side of the machine one extending longitudinally of the belt travel and the other extending transversely thereto. Below the same is a similarly positioned similar pair of racks 23 and 24 ateach side yof the machine..` Adjustably supportedbv yeach rack 21 is aff'bear.-

ated with belt 19. An adjusting idler pulleyv Y,

or roll 32 is also provided. l

\ The lower belt 20 is similarly supported thebelt engaging roll 35 being carriedrfby shaft 36 in blocks 33. Bearing blocks 3'( on racks-24 carrying pinion 38 support the belt engaging roll 39. A pair of rolls and 41 I I adjustably mounted with respect to each 'by the bearing blocks 33 adjustably mount. j ved through themediumofj the pinions 34,

' 43, the belts 19 and 20 passing over the same,

able mechanism, and herein one type of mechanism will be briefly described, to wit, a pair of cutting, blanking or forming rolls and 51 driven in timed relation with the endless conveying means 19 and 20. A sheet fed between the rolls 50 and 51 will be suitably operated upon, for example as herein illustrated, see Fi 1, to sever said sheet into a plurality o smaller sheets of redetermined size. The several pieces o each sheet, therefore, lie on the conveyor in transverse alignment with respect to the direction of .travel of the sheet and are presented simultaneously to the beveled jaw of the platform or stack support. The feeding means in continuin its movement forces the several portions o the sheet or the single sheet upon the platform, and successive sheets-are similarly presented and are interposed between the lowermost sheet on the platform and the beveled edge of the platform. Each sheet or piece of sheet is caused to raise the pile or stack'of sheets and thereafter be pushed into stack formation, this beingsecured throughkthe medium of the abutment or stop 14. f s

The conveyor construction shown-herein i is not an ordinary multiple belt conveyor having parallel portions between which the article to be conveyed passes. This conveyor construction by reason of its adjustability, permits the accommodation of sheets 0f variable length, breadth and thickness. Furthermore, said conveyor` by proper longitudinal adjustment is adapted to 'tion the successive sheets so that the orward edge of the rearward sheet may be supplied to the conveyor system beneath the rearward edge of the forward sheet. This is secured by reason of the fact that as each lsheet passes through -the conveyor the .rear end of it is deflected upwardly.

138'- respectvel f shafts y In Fig. 4 a modified form` of conveyorA constructionV is illustrated which is slightly different from thatshown inFigs. 1 and 2, particularlyin this respect that'the entire construction can be tilted upon a horizontal axis 100 b means of a segmental worm gear 101 meshing i with a -worm 102 having an operable yportion 103 preferably adapted to receive a-.hand crank. The entire frame construction is thus pivotally mounted upon a horizontal axis for adjustability.

' In additionV thereto, the conveyor con` roller 131 and 139, respectively. The former engaged belt is the upper belt and the latter is the lower belt. Associated with the upper belt is thc discharge end ,roller 140 adyustably mounted by the pivotal arms 148 and adjustably and yieldingly supported by the mechanism 140". Also associated with the upper belt is the receiving end roller 144 supported by shaft 142, in turn mounted in bracket 143. vBracket 143 is associated with a standard 146 and mounted in said standard is a shaft carrying a wurm meshing with a wheel carried by the shaft 142. Bevelled ears 145 and 145b are adapted to raise and ower the bracket 143 for adjusting the ref ceiving position'of the upper roller.

A roller 132 is pivotally supported in a pivotally supported arm 132L pivotally supported at 136 upon the framework. The arm 132 has an-extension 132 extending by an adjustable tie rod or a cable 133 associated with a pulley 134 mounted in the upright 135 carried bythe framework of the machine. In this -way the tension of the belt can be maintained through the idler pulley,132. The lowex` `-belt is maintained in position by the receiving end pulley 143 and the discharge end pulley 141. .A suitable idler pulley 160 pivotally mounted in the bracket 161 also pivotally mounted upon a common axis 100, is provided for securing the desired ad'ustable tension inthe lower belt. In this orm of the invention it will also be noted that the belts are slightly offset from the horizontal relation intermediate the receiving and discharge ends by the rolls 131 and 139 so that r'the same is adapted to position the succes-- sively discharged sheets with the forward edge of the rearward sheet underlyin the rearward edge of the forward sheet. Tis is secured by reason of the deflection of the belts with respect to the horizontal plane through h? adjacent portions of the upper and lower e ts.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a sheet feeding device, the combination of two su erposed substantially triangular endless bell) portions cooperating as opposed runs :with a common direction of movement, and means for ofsettinglsaid opposed runsintermediate e opposed portions of said contheends of t veyor for the reception of and overlapping conveyance of successively presented overlapping sheets.

2. In a sheet feeding device the combination of two superposed endless conveyors having their adjacent base portions cooperating as opposed runs with a common direction of movement, means associated with each of said opposed runs for forming' an angle in each, the angularity being suchthat the rearward end ofeach sheet and the sheet is tilted upwardly to permit positioning of a following sheetbeneath.

t conveyors having their base" 3. A device as defined by claim 2 charac terized by said endless conveyors comprising belt conveyors, and means associated with each conveyor for maintaining the desired 5 tension therein.

4. In combination a stack supporting platform including a stop, an upwardly inclined bevelled edge beneath the sheet supporting plane of the platform for receiving the forward edge of successively presented sheets and guiding the same'beneath a stack thereof A for stop engagement and pile formation, and

a conveyor mechanism for presenting a plurality of sheets in overlapped relation with the rearward edge of the preceding sheet overlapping the forward edgevof the following sheet, said conveyor mechanism including a plurality of endless conveyors having substantially parallel and opposed adjacent runs movable in the same direction and in cluding an offset portion arranged to tilt each sheet from its previous line of travel to ele-V vate the rear end thereof to permit positioning of the forward edge of the succeeding sheet therebeneath.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto a-fixed my signature.

' HARRY E. HUDSON. 

